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DIGDEEP
More than 2 million Americans still don't have a tap or a toilet at home. We’re a non-profit organization working to ensure that every American has water and sanitation access forever.
 

Draining:

The Economic Impact of America's Hidden Water Crisis

At least 2 million Americans still don’t have running water or a working toilet at home, costing the US economy $8.58 billion each year.

But, there’s hope. Every $1 spent on closing the water access gap yields nearly $5 in societal benefits—an incredible return on investment. Read the first national study to calculate the true cost of allowing millions of Americans to live without running water at home, and the hundreds of billions in economic benefits we could generate by closing the gap for good.

 
 
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About the Report

America’s hidden water crisis is costing the United States economy a staggering $8.58 billion each year.

While most Americans take this basic infrastructure for granted, daily life looks very different for the families who live inside the water access gap. Adults and children spend hours each week hauling water from streams, wells, or grocery stores — hours taken away from work, studying, or playing. They have a higher risk of waterborne disease, Type II diabetes, physical injury, and acute mental stress, and must also shoulder the healthcare bills that follow.

These very real economic losses are felt first by the families living inside the water access gap, and then ripple outwards through their communities and into the entire national economy in the form of healthcare costs for uninsured individuals, labor market disruptions, and decreased economic activity.

In this report, DigDeep analyzed a wide variety of public health and economic data to calculate the price tag of life without a toilet or tap. The findings are striking. We can close America's water access gap in our lifetimes. As this report shows, we can't afford not to.

 
 
What The Water Gap Costs Us
 

$846M

in time lost hauling water

$765M

in physical
health costs

$291M

in water
purchase costs

$218m

in mental
health costs

$924M

in additional
lost GDP

 
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A Path Forward

Want to close the water gap? This report provides a four-part Action Plan for regulators and policymakers looking to solve this problem for good.

  1. Expand and refocus federal and state funding for water infrastructure

    Appropriate dedicated funds via Congress to close the water gap over the next 10 years. New and existing federal funding should be designated for technological innovation and system operation and maintenance. The up-front investment required for new infrastructure is only $18.4 billion, less than Americans spend every year on ice cream.

  2. Use data to bring visibility to communities

    Establish a dedicated Water and Sanitation Needs Working Group led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to streamline data collection and information on the location and nature of household infrastructure gaps. The federal government should update the Census to add Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) questions to accurately measure affected individuals nationwide–including reinstating a previously-removed question on the number of households without working toilets.

  3. Define the water access gap as a crisis

    Treat this issue with urgency and focus, recognizing that our neighbors without running water and flush toilets live in crisis every day. Follow the example of California and the United Nations General Assembly by recognizing a human right to water and sanitation at the federal level.

  4. Build a domestic Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) sector

    Establish a domestic WaSH sector where organizations working on this issue can coordinate nationwide efforts, share best practices, and hold the government accountable to impacted communities using the global WaSH sector as a model.

 
 
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Dig into the report with CEO and lead author, George McGraw

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sign the Pledge

I believe every American has a human right to clean, running water.

I believe in an America where every family can clean their hands, bodies and homes.

I believe American families shouldn’t have to choose between buying clean water or putting food on the table.

I believe that tribal nations, rural communities and people of color deserve running water.

I believe young Americans shouldn’t have to drive to truck stops to use the bathroom or take a shower